


A Little Faith In Me

by MollyC



Category: Supernatural
Genre: 1.12 Faith, AU, M/M, adopted!Cas, implied wincest, stoatsandwich
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-03-05
Updated: 2012-03-05
Packaged: 2017-11-01 04:13:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,704
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/351800
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MollyC/pseuds/MollyC
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>He realizes this may have been a miscalculation when his muscles lock up and pain swoops out of nowhere to crush him down into the dark.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Little Faith In Me

**Author's Note:**

  * For [stoatsandwich](https://archiveofourown.org/users/stoatsandwich/gifts).
  * Inspired by [Brotherly Love](https://archiveofourown.org/works/280906) by [stoatsandwich](https://archiveofourown.org/users/stoatsandwich/pseuds/stoatsandwich). 



> It's happened again. This one goes after "We Don't Need No Education".

Sam's running up the steps, herding the kids to safety, and Dean is stalking around the basement sticking his shotgun into dark corners when the rawhead comes out of hiding, slamming into Dean; his gun and souped-up taser fall to the dirt floor. Castiel shouts and charges at the creature as Dean scrabbles for his gun. The next few seconds are...chaotic, and end with Castiel on his back on a floor that seems more wet than damp and firing his taser as the rawhead swings for his face.

He realizes this may have been a miscalculation when his muscles lock up and pain swoops out of nowhere to crush him down into the dark.

*

When Sam and Dean come into his room, Cas can see at a glance that they know. "Thank God," he says, hating how weak he sounds. "If I have to watch any more daytime TV I'm gonna puke."

"We talked to your doctor," Sam says.

"That fabric softener bear is freaky. You guys should go after it," Cas says, though he knows Sam isn't going to take the deflection. He's got to try, for Dean, who looks almost as bad as Cas feels.

"Cas," Sam says, and Cas sighs and clicks off the TV. "OK," he says. "If you talked to the doctor, you know the deal. Staying in here isn't gonna do me any good, so we might as well not put any more hits on the cards."

"Cas," Dean starts, but Castiel speaks over him as well as he can.

"No, Dean, come on. They said there's nothing they can do, OK? Too bad getting laid will kill me quicker, I could use one more orgasm before I die."

"That's not funny," Sam says. Cas pulls out the best smile he can muster. "It's a little funny," he says.

*

He wakes up in the middle of Sam making a phone call, he assumes to Dad, but pretends to still be asleep until Sam's done talking and has gotten himself back under control. Sam has spent the last three days calling Dad's contacts and net-surfing obsessively, with Dean's occasional assistance. Cas is literally too tired to even read, and has been no help at all. It's kind of freaking him out, how he can feel his heart failing bit by bit.

Once Sam's sniffling dies down, Cas makes waking-up mutters. By the time he fakes being actually awake, Sam's sitting on the bed next to him. "Hey," Sam says. His smile is wavery but sincere, and Cas pretends not to notice that his eyes are red. "I got something. A specialist in Nebraska. As soon as Dean gets back we can get packed up and go."

"What kind of specialist?" Cas asks warily. It's not that he objects to the idea of living, it's just that he's not sure he wants to be a zombie or anything, and conventional medicine is unlikely to be a big help.

*

The specialist turns out to be a canvas tent in the middle of a muddy field. Cas can tell how bad Dean is by the fact that Dean doesn't even bitch about how dirty his baby's getting. Dean's skeptical as hell; Sam's enthusiastic. Cas just lets them help him out of the car and into the tent, Dean grousing all the way. He's heartened (no pun intended) when Dean unbends enough to flirt a little with the blond chick. Sam insists they sit near the front; Cas goes along with it because arguing takes way more energy than he has right now.

At first, Cas pretty much ignores LaGrange, leaning heavily on Dean instead. But then the old guy says something about seeing into peoples' hearts, and Dean mutters in Cas's ear, "Yeah, and into their wallets," and the old guy says, "You think so, young man?"

"Sorry," Dean mutters.

LaGrange says, "No, no. Don't be. Just watch what you say around a blind man, we've got real sharp ears." The crowd laughs. "What's your name, son?"

"Dean. But my brother's the one..."

"Oh, yes," the old guy says. "Why don't you come up here with me, son," he says to Cas, who says, "No, it's OK."

"What are you doing, Cas?" Sam hisses, as LaGrange says, "You came here to be healed, didn't you?"

_I came here to make my brothers feel better,_ Cas thinks, but he gets shakily to his feet and shuffles onto the stage. The crowd makes approving noises.

"Are you a believer, son?" LaGrange asks as Cas gets up onto the stage.

Cas admits, "Not really." He doesn't believe in anything much, never has. He knows Sam prays, but he and Dean are skeptics.

"You will be. Pray with me, friends."

Everyone in the audience joins hands and most of them shut their eyes. "All right. All right now," LaGrange says, putting one hand heavily on Cas's shoulder. Cas hopes he'll get on with it; his legs are starting to shake under him.

"All right," the old guy says again, and Cas's knees give out entirely. He hears Sam and Dean exclaiming his name. Sam swims into his field of view, demanding that he say something, but Cas looks past him, past LaGrange to the cadaverous man in a neat black suit who's suddenly standing behind the faith healer. The apparition stares at Cas for a long second, then turns away. Something cold and dark moves through Castiel's body, and in the wake of it his heartbeat feels stronger.

Cas draws a deep breath, deeper than he's been able to in days, and lets himself lean into Sam's chest.

*

Sam is unbelievably pissed when Dean insists they check out the other heart attack victim. "Can't we just...not look this one in the mouth, Dean?" he snaps. "LaGrange saved Cas!"

"Sam," Cas says soothingly, and Sam turns a bitchface on him. "Not you too," he groans. "I _know_ you didn't want to die, Cas, let's be grateful you won't."

"I'm really glad to not be dying," Cas says with some asperity. The celebratory sex was reasonably spectacular. "But Dean's right. It felt wrong, dude. If this guy's got some sort of dark mojo, we can't let it go."

*

"Why does your brother deserve to live more than my daughter?" Mrs Rourke demands, and Dean stiffens.

"More, I don't know about that," Dean says, low and angry. "But he deserves to live just as much."

Cas puts a calming hand on Dean's arm. "Come on, don't get upset," he says. "She's worried about Layla. Don't be a jerk." He gives Mrs Rourke a concilatory smile. "I don't know why he chose me," he says. And to Layla, "I hope you get what you need." Layla smiles; her mother doesn't, but at least she doesn't actively storm away.

*

They stare at each other appalled. Reapers are big mojo, and if LaGrange is controlling one he's got to be a heavy hitter.

*

Sam goes into the house looking for clues; Dean is dispatched to keep LaGrange from healing anyone else. Cas stays outside to look for the protestor. In the end the guy finds him, falling over himself in panic and pointing at something Cas is just as glad not to be able to see. He tries to keep himself between David and the Reaper, and finally Dean calls and announces, "I stopped Roy, we should be good."

Cas pats the guy on the arm and says, "I think it's OK," but David pants, "No," and points again.

"Dean, it didn't work," Cas says hastily. "The Reaper's still coming. Roy must not be the one controlling it."

"Then who the hell is?" Dean mutters, and then he hangs up.

*

Dean watches Layla go, looking miserable.

*

In retrospect, it was stupid of them to leave Dean alone. Sam and Cas look at his picture on the altar, and then at each other.

From behind them the healer's wife says, "I gave you life, young man, but your brother's wicked." Sam kicks over the altar as Cas lunges for her, but she's up the stairs and closing the doors on him. Through the hatch she says, "Can't you see? The Lord chose me to reward the just and punish the wicked. And your brother is wicked and he deserves to die just as Layla deserves to live. It is God's will."

Sam turns in a full circle, scanning the room. "Good-bye," Sue Ann says, even as Sam bends to pick up a brick and moves purposefully towards a window.

*

Right after they crawl out the window they find Dean, on his knees and twitching. Cas jerks his head and Sam nods and takes off. Cas sinks down and puts his arms around Dean, because if his brother's going to die it won't be alone.

*

Dean is quiet the next day. Finally Sam and Cas exchange glances and sit down on either side of him. "What is it?" Sam starts.  Neither of them is surprised when Dean says, "Nothing."

Cas gives him a few seconds and then repeats, "What is it?"

Dean sighs and says, "We did the right thing here, didn't we?"

"Of course we did," Sam says, and Dean sighs again. "It doesn't feel like it."

Cas is opening his mouth when there's a knock on the door, and Sam says, "I got it." He opens the door to Layla, and Castiel breathes out quietly in relief; he hadn't been entirely sure she'd come. "Hey Layla, come on in," Sam says. Dean gets to his feet, Cas a second after him.

"How did you know we were here?" Dean asks, and Layla looks confused.

"Sam called?" she says. "He said you wanted to say goodbye."

Cas dodges Dean's accusing look and hurries to the door. "We're, uh, going to go get some drinks," he says, and shoos Sam out into the hall, pulling the door closed behind them.

"I hope this works," Sam says glumly.

"He was fine with giving her up to save me," Cas says. "It's just that he thinks he should've let himself die to save _her_."

"Dean can be an idiot," Sam says.

"He's a Winchester, just like us," Cas says, and Sam grins at him.


End file.
